How Digital Tools Can Reduce the Uncertainty in Online Beauty Product Purchases and Their Influence on Customers’ Purchase Intentions

Abstract

Online beauty retail has almost always faced the challenge of purchase uncertainty, primarily about the high return rates and order cancellations. Although digital tools such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been considered as promising solutions, the mechanisms that mitigate online purchase uncertainty and enhance customers’ purchase intentions require further investigation. This study has analyzed how AR and AI impact on customers’ online purchase uncertainty and purchase intentions through literature reviews and a case study of Sephora’s digital practices with the AIDA model. The result shows that AR reduces product-related uncertainty by reducing cognitive bias, creating a sense of presence, and mental imagery and AI reduces informationrelated uncertainty by mitigating information overload and ambiguity through personalized recommendations and forming perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use through AI chat bot. Trust is considered as a key moderator for the connection between uncertainty reduction and increased purchase intentions. These findings provide theoretical insights and practical suggestions for beauty brands in digital marketing.